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Promoting poetry sine 1951

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National Writing Day is coming! Wednesday 21 June 2023

June 20, 2023 by Nicola

I came across this motivating day during COVID. I don’t think it matters that it is a UK celebration… any day is a wonderful day to celebrate creative writing in my books!!

Get ready to take part in the annual celebration of creative writing.

Grab your pens, pencils or laptops and make your voices heard. Anyone can take part in our annual celebration of writing for pleasure and self-expression — at home, school, work or wherever!

Use our free activities to inspire your creativity and share your writing online using #NationalWritingDay.

firststory.org.uk/writeday  | @writeday

I think I’m going to go ahead and try out the “Roll the Dice” activity!

Here are over 105 creative writing exercises by Imagine Forest to give your brain a workout and help those creative juices flow again… https://www.imagineforest.com/blog/creative-writing-exercises/

Feel free to share any creative outputs — or your favourite word-generating exercises — in our  TOWER POETRY FACEBOOK GROUP!!

Filed Under: Poetry Inspiration, poetry prompt Tagged With: National Creative Writing Day, poetic inspiration, poetry prompts

Tuesday, May 30, 2023 is National Creativity Day!

May 30, 2023 by Nicola

Whilst we eagerly await the next edition of PoARTy, available this Saturday, let us celebrate CREATIVITY!

National Creativity Day

Unleash your inner artist and let creativity run wild! From painting to poetry, there’s no limit to what you can create. So, grab your brushes, pens, or whatever inspires you, and let the magic of imagination take over.

How to Celebrate? Read More: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/national-creativity-day/…

 

Here is a fun Poetry Prompt: Cut out headlines or phrases from magazines or newspapers to make a found poem. Bonus points if it is about creativity:)

And, another prompt: “Ode to ….” —> look http://DaysoftheYear.com for inspiration. E.g., World Otter Day (May 31st) inspired this nonsense wordplay:

The mother of the other otter ought to utter another mutter.

The bother of the utter that the other mother muttered might

be better left a letter to unpack.

She may let you pet her when she floats upon her back,

with her little button nose and teeny wiggly toes.

The otter (not the other) is the brother, who got her popcorn,

but her popcorn is unbuttered, what a bother!

(By Nicola Schneider)

 

I’d also like to take a moment to introduce your new Tower Poetry Society Executive Council for 2023/24:

President: Fran Figge
Past President: Jennifer Dunlop
Vice-President: Lisa Borkovich
Editor-in-Chief: G.W. Down
Secretary: Jenny Sorenson
Treasurer: Ed Woods
Website Coordinator: Nicola Schneider
Circulation Manager: Ed Woods
Counsellor at Large: Dean Sinclair

Thank you to the following past executive members for all your hard work: Gaiyle Connolly (past president), Trudi Down (past web coordinator, member-at-large, jumped in as Secretarty), Joanne Menchion, Susanne Noordyk; Thank you to our newsletter creator, Roy Adam; Thank you to my Artwalk Tour Guide Partner, Jim Tomkins; Thank you to Eleanor Krosydar & Gaiyle Connolly for your work with Artwalk; Thank you to Halyna Koba for getting word out about TPS; AND Thank you to all TPS members for writing poems, attending workshops & events, and submitting poems.

 

Filed Under: poetry prompt Tagged With: Canadian Poets, CanadianPoets, creativityday, Hamilton Poets, HamiltonPoets, nationalcreativityday, Ontario Poets, OntarioPoets, poARTry, poetry prompts, Tower Poetry Society Hamilton, TowerPoetrySocietyHamilton, TPS

Poem in my Pocket Day

April 27, 2023 by Nicola

#NaPoWriMo is almost over. It doesn’t matter whether you will achieve 30 poems in 30 days, or you’ve just checked it out for the first time, or you now know of a fun resource to use if you ever want to get a month of motivation for writing poetry. I have managed to engage in poetry most days, by at least reading some of the poems that other people wrote inspired by the prompts at https://www.napowrimo.net/ or diving into the poetic resources shared throughout the month.

Today, Thursday, April 27, 2023 is Poem in My Pocket Day!

The League of Canadian Poets exists to support poets and poetry in Canada, just like we do at Tower Poetry Society Hamilton. Poem in Your Pocket Day is an international movement that encourages people to center poetry within their daily interactions. On PIYP Day, select a poem, carry it with you, and share it with others at schools, bookstores, libraries, parks, workplaces, coffee shops, street corners, and on social media using the hashtag #PocketPoem.

The site features a collection of poems to celebrate poetry in 2023. You can read them online, listen to an audio recording, or even print out a handy booklet to make sharing poems even easier! Check it out here: https://poets.ca/programs/pocketpoem/

The site includes links to French poems and many ways to celebrate. But really, any day can be Poem in Your Pocket Day!

Sing a Song about it with Emily Arrow: https://youtu.be/oxF0nB8ZzXQ

PS. PoARTry Dance #4 will be posted on Saturday, May 6!!

Filed Under: Poetry Inspiration Tagged With: Canadian Poets, CanadianPoets, Hamilton Poets, HamiltonPoets, NaPoWriMo, Poem in my Pocket Day, poetry, Poetry Month, poetry prompts, TowerPoetrySocietyHamilton, TPS

NaPoWriMo is coming!

March 25, 2023 by Nicola

Have you ever NaPoWriMo-ed before??

What?    30 poems in 30 days

NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April. Details here: https://www.napowrimo.net/about/

https://www.napowrimo.net/ posts an optional daily prompt to help you get inspired, features a different participant each day, as well as a daily poetry-related resource.

Here is an interesting teaser: https://www.napowrimo.net/napowrimo-glopowrimo-is-on-the-way/ I particularly love the second online prompt generator… Is generator (a) or (b) your style?? Maybe our choice says something about who each of us is as an artist, a human,… or, maybe it means nothing at all😊 And, the Eater of Meaning sucked me down the rabbit whole for a few many moments…

… Anyway, back to it…

My NaPoWriMo Experience…

I have dabbled with NaPowriMo for 10 years (2013, really?! Wow — Happy 10 years to me!). Have I ever managed a poem a day?… Well, only once in April 2020, the first official month of COVID, and I suspect many folks were actually able to do this one. What else were we doing?! Plus, there was no better way to deal with the turmoil of those crazy times. Sometimes, when April has been too busy, I’ve done another random month, like Poetember in 2018. I have always started NaPoWriMo all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed but sometimes I don’t make it further than that (I’m looking at you, 2019!). Usually, I make it through about half a month. I’ve learned to go with the flow. If not writing an actual poem each day, I might work on editing, or pairing an old poem with media, or doing Word Work activities (like Wordle). So, more accurately, I aim to spend at least 30 minutes on poetry work for 30 days. (In a perfect world, I do that already, but lets just say, I use Poetry Month as a much-needed poetry push in the right direction😊)

** If you feel like sharing your poems and prompts, you can do so in the TPS Facebook Group directly, or drop a link to your personal post. I, for example, often post to my site: https://www.everydayarteveryday.com/iblog.

Other resources/prompts…

  • https://poetrynonstop.com/2023/02/04/napowrimo-2023/
  • https://gooduniversenextdoor.com/2022/03/25/poetry-prompts-napowrimo-22/
  • https://trishhopkinson.com/2022/04/05/april-is-national-poetry-month-napomo-prompts-galore-other-ways-you-can-participate-4/
  • Your favourite poetry site, probably. Feel free to share these in the Facebook Group!

Happy Writing, from the TPS Web Coordinator!

Filed Under: Poetry Inspiration Tagged With: NaPoWriMo, NaPoWriMo2023, poetry, Poetry Month, poetry prompts, Tower Poetry Society Hamilton, TowerPoetrySocietyHamilton, TPS

Tuesday, March 21st/2023 – World Poetry Day

March 20, 2023 by Nicola

Poetry can change the way people view the world, inspire others, and mend the bonds between people and create harmony with one another.

However, poetry to many can be considered a dying art in a world filled with technology and more advanced ways of conveying messages of art and beauty.

World Poetry Day aims to appreciate the sentiment that poetry can create, forming meaningful relationships and expand one’s mind about history and cultures.

Learn about World Poetry Day

World Poetry Day takes place every year to promote the teaching of poetry, as well as the publishing, writing, and reading of this form of writing around the world. It was declared by UNESCO in 1999 and they stated that their purpose for creating this day was:

“with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard”

They also stated in their original declaration that World Poetry Day was about giving fresh impetus and recognition to international, regional, and national poetry movements.

All in all, this is a day that is designed to inspire and educate, as well as giving poets all around the world recognition for their creative brilliance!

History of World Poetry Day

World Poetry Day was conceived during the 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999. Those at the conference had the ambition to support the growth of linguistic diversity through poetics and help in increasing awareness of endangered and dying so they can be heard.

World Poetry Day also honors poets, revives the practice of poetry recitals, and promotes poetry as a form of art that connects people to their humanity. With generations upon generations of poets and time periods to choose from, poetry can gain insight into the ideas and feelings of that time.

By also attending poetry recitals, people can experience the languages that words and emotions are spoken through and experience emotional bonds with others.

World Poetry Day is hosted by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, a subsection of the United Nations that promotes the advancement of culture through effort, communication, and passion.

World Poetry Day is annually celebrated by schools, organizations, libraries, and publishers all over the globe through teaching about poets, styles of poetry, and the languages that they’re read through.

Throughout the day, people host festivals, talk about their favorite poets and learn about the different ways that poetry can be written and spoken. UNESCO also offers social media kits and other resources to help those around the world learn about how to read poetry and understand its meaning in day to day life.

How to celebrate World Poetry Day

Celebrate World Poetry Day by reading some poetry. Look up poets such as Sylvia Plath, John Keats, William Wordsworth, and Ezra Pound. If you want to learn more about poets out there, then attend a college class on poetry, or head on over to a spoken word event to catch up on the latest poets on the stage.

There are lots of other exciting ways that you can celebrate World Poetry Day. Rather than reading a poem, why not watch a poetry reading? Thanks to the likes of YouTube, we have access to all sorts of videos today, and so it should not be difficult to find a poetry reading that interests you. The live recital of a poem, especially from the author who has written it, is extremely powerful. It takes the depth of meaning of the words to a whole other level. We would recommend taking a look at readings from the likes of Hera Lindsay Bird and Jay Bernard. They’re pretty incredible!

If you have children, World Poetry Day is the perfect opportunity for you to increase their awareness of this literary form and show them how fun and exciting poetry can be. After all, not all poems are serious! Poems can make us laugh, especially those that use clever wordplay and puns.

You can find lots of great books of poems that have been specifically designed for children. We would recommend Roger McGough’s Poetry Pie, which features more than 50 poems that will make your child laugh. Other good options include Cat Among the Pigeons by Kit Wright and Gargling with Jelly by Brian Patten.

If World Poetry Day has got you feeling inspired, why not write your own poem? You don’t need to be the next Shakespeare to enjoy writing poetry! Whether you decide to share it with other people or keep your poems to yourself is entirely up to you. If you’re feeling at a loss, don’t worry. It can seem a bit overwhelming if you have never written a poem before! It is always good to start with a goal in mind. What are you hoping to achieve by writing the poem?

Some other types include communicating your theme, using concrete words rather than abstract words, using similes and metaphors, using images, and avoiding sentimentality and cliches. You will find lots of interesting books and videos online about writing poems, so you can look up some of these to help you. There is no right or wrong way to write a poem or to begin the process, it is all about finding what works for you, and so it can definitely help to listen to some of the different methods that people use.

Find your favorite poet and share them on social media using the hashtag #WorldPoetryDay. Let your friends and family know today’s a day to appreciate language and the way we communicate with one another.

Source: World Poetry Day (March 21st) | Days Of The Year

 

Check out my other Blogs for Poetry Prompts:

Everyday Art Every Day Prompts — Write Like Your Fav Poet: World Poetry Day – Tuesday, March 21st, 2023 – Everyday Art Every Day

World Poetry Day — Tuesday, March 21st – Nicola Schneider, OCT – a spot of reflection (weebly.com) for an “I am Music” poetry prompt…

Filed Under: Poetry Inspiration, poetry prompt Tagged With: #worldpoetryday, Canadian Poets, CanadianPoets, Hamilton Poets, HamiltonPoets, Ontario Poets, OntarioPoets, poetry, poetry prompts, Tower Poetry Society Hamilton, TowerPoetrySocietyHamilton, world poetry day